High-speed Minesweeper Patented

March 31, 1985|The New York Times

In an effort to harness the inherent healing power of the human body, Leonard J. Bonnell, a mechanical engineer in Harrington Valley, Pa., has patented a method to electronically stimulate the reproduction of damaged tissue cells without surgery.

Patent 4,506,673 details a system that would implant a small battery- operate d device into a damaged joint, typified by the soft pouch of skin just under the knee. The device would emit a low voltage pulse to stimulate cell regeneration.

"The idea is to remove the damaged tissue with the least amount of trauma to healthy surrounding tissue," Bonnell said. "The device could be inserted through a small puncture wound, about the size of a freckle. The surgical incision is usually two to six inches wide."

The patent was assigned to the Rorer Group of Fort Washington, Pa., which will continue to conduct research on the idea. Bonnell said the device would soon be tested on animals.